Introduction

In Namibia, a country in southern Africa, there are about 12,000 white farmers who own about 80 per cent of the country’s arable land. The land issue in Namibia concerning whites is not necessarily distinct from the broader issue of land ownership in Africa as a whole—the continent has seen many conflicts over this basic resource throughout its history. But some specific differences set Namibia apart from other countries where indigenous populations have fought against European settlers over legal rights to their ancestral lands. In this article, we’ll explore how many acres of farmland whites own in Namibia and what led up to this situation (and what it means).

The land in Namibia that is owned by white farmers is not an insignificant portion of the overall country.

White farmers indeed own a substantial portion of the land in Namibia. However, it’s not as though they own all of it—the other 75% (or more) is owned by black people. In fact, even if you were to take away all of the land owned by white farmers and give it to black people, there would still be plenty left over for everyone.

(The land issue in Namibia concerning whites is not necessarily distinct from the broader issue of land ownership in Africa.)

There are several types of land ownership systems in Africa, and Namibia is no exception. It started out as a colony but became independent from South Africa in 1990. Land ownership has become an issue in Namibia, with many white farmers experiencing pressure to sell their farms to black citizens who want them for farming purposes.

Using a useful technique, it’s possible to calculate how many acres of land are owned by white farmers in Namibia.

To calculate the total number of acres owned by white farmers in Namibia, it’s necessary to know two things: how big Namibia is and how much of its land is arable.

Namibia has an area of 230,291 square miles (593,690 km2), making it about the size of Texas. There are plenty of deserts and mountains in Namibia, so most people live on the coastal plains where there’s enough rain to grow crops. In these areas, roughly 60% of all arable land is suitable for farming (the other 40% is too dry).

You can use these facts to establish how many acres white farmers own in Namibia:

• The total size (acres) of arable land that isn’t desert or mountain = 60% x 230k*100/100=184k+/-5k acres
• The percentage (%) owned by whites = 100%-40%=60% __________ _______________
• Total amount owned by whites = 184k-134k = 50k acres